Descent
by Dragonchild627
Summary: [WIP] Sequel to Mark. Sakura has been taken by Orochimaru. Naruto and Gaara are searching for her, but will they be able to find her before she finds them? Will they be ready for what they see?
1. Chapter 1

[A/N]: This is the sequel to my story "Mark". I would suggest reading it before reading this. I've had most of it written up for a while, but haven't typed it up until now. School has been keeping me busy. I hope you enjoy and I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can.

**Chapter 1**

Darkness. She was floating in darkness. She could feel nothing, hear nothing. Her eyes may have been opened, or closed, she couldn't tell. She couldn't move. Her body was cut off from her brain.

She tried to remember. Who she was. What she was. Where she was. What had happened.

Nothing. It was blank. All that came to mind was darkness. The infinite darkness.

It was suffocating. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't move. She couldn't fight.

* * *

><p>A pinpoint of light appeared. She tried to reach for it. It grew. She tried to run.<p>

The girl groaned. Her eyes slowly slid open. It didn't make a difference though. Open or closed, she was still surrounded by black.

Her mind strained to comprehend her situation, to understand what had happened. She tried to remember anything, everything. She didn't know why she was here. She didn't know where "here" was. She didn't know how she had arrived at this location.

An image came to mind and she focused on it. A red-haired boy was pale skin. The kanji for "love" was tattooed on his forehead. For some reason, she felt like she should no who this boy was. She focused on his image, trying to draw up some feeling, any feeling, for him. She tried to name him. She couldn't. Nothing came to her, only the picture of the cold, pale green eyes of the boy. She knew she had a strong connection to him, but she couldn't identify her feelings. She did not know if they were love or hate. If they were the feelings of a friend or an enemy.

The girl's attention was drawn away from her memory by a hissing sound. The room seemed to grown heavier, but she couldn't smell anything.

Gas? She thought. Whats going on?

Her eyes began to droop, her head fell. Her eyes blurred. As she closed them, a door slammed open, letting in a layer of light. The girl had time to see a shadowed figure in the doorway before she succumbed to the gas.

The last thing she heard before she hit the last stage of her unconsciousness was a familiar male voice yelling, "I found her!"

* * *

><p>The light was shrinking now. And this time, she tried to run for it. Her body still would not respond. It was stuck in its floating position, refusing to respond to her.<p>

She was once again surrounded by darkness. There was nothing she could do about it.

* * *

><p>The boy appeared before her. The one with the read hair. His eyes were still cold. He was reaching for her.<p>

When the girl woke again, it was to a steady beeping. She was lying on a soft surface and she was warm. She felt something in her arm. It was uncomfortable and itchy, but not painful. In fact, she felt no pain, just a tingly numbness.

Painkillers, she thought distantly. Why would I need them?

She once again wondered where she was and how she had arrived at this place. Once again, her mind came up blank.

She tried to open her eyes, she could see a faint light from beneath her lids. They did not respond. She tried to move her fingers, nothing.

The beeping increased as she panicked. She was immobile and helpless in an unknown place and the monitor that recorded her heart rate reflected it.

Someone rushed into the room. There was a feeling of coldness in her arm and she started to fade.

* * *

><p>"It's okay, Sakura-chan," someone said. "You're safe."<p>

The boy was floating before her again. He still stared at her, directly into her eyes. It was like he was digging into her soul, trying to find something. Her memories? She didn't know.

The white was still far off in the distance, unreachable by her, but it still intrigued her, like the boy did. When she wasn't staring at him, she watched the light. She wondered when she would go to it, or when it would return to her. She wondered if she would ever be able to get close to it again. A part of her said no, another said yes.

Her attention was on the boy now. She tried to reach towards him as he had once done with her, but she still could not move.

She felt odd.

* * *

><p>The boy's mouth moved. She could hear nothing, but she could almost read what he said. She looked back at his eyes, they looked troubled. He began to repeat what he had said, but it was too late.<p>

When she awoke this time, she was still in the bed, the beeping was still present, and something was still in her arm.

She tried to move her fingers and found that they responded. She then attempted to move her hand, then her arm. She turned her head to the side and could see light from behind her eye lids. She was nervous. Everything else had worked, would this?

Slowly, she opened her eyes. The light was faint, coming from behind a set of blinds, but it was there. She looked around at her surroundings. The walls were white, the bedding was white. She pushed herself up with difficulty and leaned against the wall behind her.

She held her hand in front of her face and stared at the pale skin in wonder. This was her.

The door opened. A man came in, he was a few years older than she was. He had dark-brown hair and matching eyes. When he saw her, those eyes widened in shock.

"Y-you're awake?" he stuttered in surprise. "I, I have to get the doctor. I'll be back!" And the man ran off.

The girl titled her head in confusion, her pale lips opened in shock. Was she not suppose to wake up?

The girl sat there and waited, but not for long. A few moments after the brown-haired man left, he returned with the doctor in tow.

She studied him. The "doctor" wasn't much older than she was. The brown-haired man was definitely older than the doctor. She wondered how the man felt about that.

The doctor walked over to her. He had a kind smile on his face, but she felt a strong emotion towards him, she didn't know if it was friendly or dangerous. It made her distrust him.

"Hello," he said kindly. "How are you feeling?"

She tilted her head and didn't answer.

"Do you know where you are?"

She shook her head.

The doctor frowned. "Do you know who you are?"

She once again shook her head.

The doctor turned to the brown-haired man. "Our leader will want to know about this development, please go get him. And bring the files on our patient."

The man bowed. "Yes, sir!" and he ran off.

The girl watched the doctor as he fiddled with the equipment in the room and gave her a general examination.

She waited much longer for the "leader" to appear.

The brown-haired man entered the room holding a file, behind him was a deathly-pale man with long black hair and yellow, snake-like eyes. The smile on his face sent shivers down her spine. That strong emotion appeared as she looked at his eyes. Enemy or Friend?

"Orochimaru-sama," the doctor said as he nodded his head.

Orochimaru nodded at him and sat at a chair by the girl's bed.

"Do you know me?" Orochimaru asked her. She shook her head no.

"My name is Orochimaru, I am the leader of Otogakure. Do you recognize the name?"

She once again shook her head.

"Nor do you remember yourself," he didn't wait for a response this time. "Do you remember where we found you?"

"In the dark," it was the first time she had spoken since the first time she woke. Her voice was rough from disuse, but still understandable. The brown-haired man gave her a cup of water which she slowly sipped at.

"Yes," Orochimaru said.

The doctor walked over. He ran a hand through his silver hair and smiled at her. "Orochimaru-sama told me not to tell you anything before he had arrived. My name is Yakushi Kabuto. I was the one who found you," Kabuto sat down on the bed. "We found you in one of the caves in the Land of Wind. We have been searching for you for a while."

"Your voice, I remember it," she said.

Kabuto smiled softly. "I'm glad.

"Why have you been looking for me?" she asked.

Kabuto and Orochimaru exchanged looks. Kabuto opened the file and took out a picture. It was of a red-haired boy with green eyes. He was so familiar.

"Do you recognize him?" Kabuto asked. His voice was guarded.

She shook her head. "Who is he?"

"His name is Sabaku no Gaara. He is the youngest son of the Kazekage, the leader of Sunagakure. A few years ago, you and he met. He became obsessed with you and took you. We have spent the last few years searching for you. Gaara marked you, do you see the mark on his forehead? You have an identical one on yours," Kabuto placed two fingers on the left side of her forehead. Hers itched to follow. "We got a lead a few weeks ago as to where you were. By the time we got to you, you had been drugged and left in, as you called it, "the darkness". The drug was meant to knock you out, but considering your memory loss, I believe that a jutsu was used on you to block your memories."

"The jutsu was probably suppose to make you distrust us," Orochimaru said. "It was probably aimed at confusing you. You do feel emotions towards us, yes?" she nodded her head. "And you can't tell if they are good or bad. I'm sure you also feel something towards Gaara," Orochimaru looked at Kabuto. "Show her the other."

Kabuto took another picture out of the folder. This time it was of a tanned blonde with sky-blue eyes and three whiskers on each cheek.

"This is Uzumaki Naruto, he worked with Gaara, but he was from a different village, Konohagakure. You should recognize it, at least somewhat. You were born there and they let Gaara take you without a fight because Gaara is the Kazekage's son and Naruto holds a lot of power in the village and is Gaara's friend."

Sakura's eyes narrowed. There was emotion towards the blonde, yes, but why would someone from the same village as her betray her like that?

"Who are you then?" she asked.

"I am Kabuto. I was originally from Konoha, but after you were taken, I came to find Orochimaru-sama and ask for help in rescuing you," Kabuto said.

"Why?"

"Because you are important to me," his hand covered hers. "And to Orochimaru-sama."

Her head tilted. "Who am I?"

Orochimaru spoke this time. "You are Haruno Sakura. You were born in Konoha. You are Kabuto's bethrothed and my heir."

Sakura's eyes widened.

She met his eyes. The yellow showed reflected her confusion.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Sakura was in the darkness again. She always returned to it when she was asleep. The light was further away each time she returned. Sometimes she wondered what that meant. The red-haired boy still hovered above her in the darkness. She was still unable to move.

She had tried saying his name once. "Gaara". She could not speak, but still, something flashed through the pale green eyes. She remembered what Orochimaru-sama and Kabuto-san had told her about the boy, but she couldn't help but feel that there was something off about what they had said.

* * *

><p>Gaara's mouth formed the same words that it formed every time she was about to wake. She tried to focus, to make the words out. She couldn't.<p>

There was a wrongness about what they had told her. Something was off. Something didn't make sense, but Sakura could not identify what it was.

Sakura had not left the room in the week that had passed since she had woken up, but everyday Kabuto, Orochimaur, or another person who claimed to be her friend showed up. Something was wrong about each and everyone of them.

None of the invoked any feeling in her. Not the woman claiming to be her sensei. Not the boy who claimed to have saved her on their first mission together. Not the girl who came in claiming to be her best friend since they were young. And so many more.

She didn't feel that powerful surge of raw emotion that came with Orochimaru or Kabuto, with Gaara or Naruto. There was nothing. Why would that be if they were as close as they claimed?

She considered asking Orochimaru or Kabuto, but never did. Whenever she would think to bring up the subject with them in the room, her mind would immediately shout "NO!". And she would listen. And that scared her because the voice denying her the ability to ask the question was not hers. It was a voice that she felt she should know, but in no way did it belong to her. So she decided that she would disobey it. The next time Kabuto or Orochimaru came in, she would tell them about the lack of feeling she had.

The door opened and Kabuto walked in. His face was neutral. Sakura looked at the black-rimmed clock that hung on the opposite of her. It was the same time that he always came in.

"How are you doing Sakura-chan?" he asked. "Are you enjoying the visits from your friends?"

It was the same two questions that he always asked when he came in. Her usual answers to them would be "Fine" and "Yes", but today would be different.

"I don't feel anything," she said quickly before the voice in her head had time to stop her.

She looked up at Kabuto, but quickly looked away as a his lips twisted into a frown. He sat down next to her. "What do you mean?" he asked softly.

"I don't feel anything when they walk in. There's no emotion, good or bad," Sakura said.

"It's just the amnesia. When your memories come back, so will the feelings," he said reassuringly. He patted her shoulder and stood up. He checked some of the machines and turned back to her.

"Orochimaru-sama will be coming later. You're being released into his care," his head tilted and his eyes closed as he smiled at her. "Are you happy?"

Sakura blinked and tried to return the smile, but hers was weak. She gave a weak nod.

Kabuto kissed her forehead and walked out of the room.

* * *

><p>True to Kabuto's word, Orochimaru got her later that day. Kabuto was there when the discharge papers were signed. He set up an appointment at the hospital for the next week so he could check how she was doing. Sakura felt that it was overall unnecessary since Kabuto would see her almost every day.<p>

As they approached the entrance to the hospital, a group of ANBU guards appeared. The two were surrounded as they walked out the doors. The masked me were silent as they walked through the village, and it unnerved Sakura. She felt like something was wrong with the situation.

What further worried her was the villagers. Their eyes were guarded as the group passed. Their eyes watched them, tracked them. And they were silent. Not a word was said, in greeting or respect, to the leader of the village, or to her.

When the group finally arrived at Orochimaru's home, Sakura was relieved. It was a two story building surrounded by a guarded wall. It was somewhat separated from the rest of the village.

The eyes of the villagers could no longer watch her, and she could no longer watch them.

As they approached the door, all but one of the ANBU members vanished. The remaining guard followed behind them as they walked into the house.

Orochimaru was silent as he lead the way through the house. Sakura follwed silently behind, afraid to break the uncomfortable silence and say something.

They stopped at two dark wooden doors. The ANBU member opened it and let them enter. Once they were inside, he closed it behind them. He did not enter with the two.

Sakura stared around the office as Orochimaru moved. There was a desk directly across from the door with a high-backed chair behind it. Two other chairs were in front of it.

Orochimaru took the chair behind the desk and waved at Sakura to sit at one of the ones in front of the desk. She did so.

Orochimaru spoke first. "Did anything look familiar? The village? Our home?"

Sakura shook her head and Orochimaru frowned. He folded his hands on the tabled and stared at the girl with his cold snake-like eyes.

"Have you remembered anything since you woke up?" Orochimaru said it like a question, but Sakura knew that he already knew the answer to it.

"No, sir," she replied, shaking her head.

"That poses a problem, especially because you are my heir," he paused. "Do you remember your sensei or your teammates?"

"No, sir,"

"You kept a diary before you were stolen from me. Perhaps reading it will help you to remember," his face softened, but his eyes did not change from their usual coldness. "Whether or that fails, I have a plan of action to reintroduce you into our village. The villagers remember you, but since you do not remember them, I want you to learn about them again.

"You will train under Kabuto and myself for the next two years. After the first 6 months, you will complete missions with your old team. If, after the two years are up, Kabuto and I feel that you are ready, you will rejoin your team as a jounin of Otogakure.

"Do you understand this?"

Sakura nodded. She was somewhat curious about how she would learn about the village and it inhabitants, but she assumed that Orochimaru has ideas for that as well.

"You will be directly under my protection and you will have an ANBU guard. You are allowed to wander the village so you can reacquaint yourself with its structure and people, but by no means are you allowed to go beyond its boundaries without my permission."

Orochimaru's eyes changed. They showed madness and pleasure as he said his next words. "I would hate for anything to happen to you."

Sakura felt a shiver go up her spine.

Orochimaru was suddenly in front of her. His hand rested on her shoulder.

"Please be careful," since the first time he had visited her in the hospital, Orochimaru's eyes matched his words.

"I will, Orochimaru-sama," Sakura replied looking down. She couldn't look into those eyes, even if they, for once, showed genuine concern.

Lips were on the top of her head for only a moment, but it was long enough to Sakura's mind to process the action. It was long enough for her to think that this snake-like man who had caused her so much confusion was showing genuine affection for her.

Sakura's eyes shut for a moment and she just felt the action.

For the ANBU watching from the corner of the room, the action had different meaning. Unlike Sakura, he could see Orochimaru's face. He could see his leader's yellow eyes flash with maniacal glee.

* * *

><p>Sakura was wandering the village with the single ANBU guard trailing silently behind her. He was far enough back to give her space, but close enough to defend her if something happened.<p>

Sakura wondered why Orochimaru had assigned her a guard. Did he expect something to happen to her? If so, what?

Sakura looked around at the villagers. They watched her, but they did not approach her or say anything to her. It worried her. Here they afraid of the ANBU? Of Orochimaru? Or had she been so terrible before she had disappeared and they were afraid of her?

As that thought ran through her head, so did another. If that was the case, why did some of them look at her as if she was new? Why did some of them watch her like they had never seen her before?

These observations added to her sense of "wrongness" about her current position. She was going to dwell on it more, but was interrupted by the appearance of her "team".

"Sakura! You're out of the hospital!" one of her teammates yelled happily.

For a moment, Sakura felt like she was in two places. She was looking at her "teammate", but she could also see another figure in her mind. The two people were eerily similar in personality to one another.

"Sakura? Sakura? Are you okay?"

Sakura shook her head and looked up. Her sensei was in front of her, looking down on her in concern.

"I-I'm fine..." Sakura grasped for the name of the woman and after a few moments it came to her, "Katsumi-sensei."

The woman smiled. "We were going to eat, would you like to join us?"

"I don't want to impose," Sakura protested.

The boy, Yasushi, jumped at her. "We're a team! You have to come with us!"

Sakura gave them a wary smiled and accepted.

* * *

><p>Sakura was back "home". The room that had been set up for her was a pale green and it was mostly bare. There was a bed that was pushed into the far corner, a desk that's drawers were filled with scrolls was against the wall opposite to the bed, and a dresser that was next to the bed.<p>

Sakura was lying on the bed with her "diary" lying open next her her. The girl's eyes were closed and her mouth was slightly parted.

Her training would begin tomorrow, before she had a chance to remember anything.

* * *

><p><strong>~End Chapter 2~<strong>

**Words: 1837**

**[A/N]: **So I hope that this chapter was worth the wait. I would've had it up sooner, but the day that I wrote most of it, I ended up at the doctors office so I could upload it. I'll talk more about Sakura's team in later chapters, probably the next one, and if not that, then definitely the one after. And don't worry, I'll be getting some scenes of Gaara and Naruto in.


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